Gods, Myths, and Heroes - Part 87

Cincinnatus

The city of Cincinnati is named after the Roman hero Cincinnatus, a military leader and statesman who lived c. 519 BC - 430 BC.  Above is a statue of Cincinnatus in Cincinnati.

Cincinnatus became a hero to the Romans because of his honorable and selfless behavior.  Those were the days of the Roman Republic, before the Roman Empire, when Rome was a small city-state.  In 458 BC, Rome was being attacked by a neighbor, the Aequi.  The city leaders found Cincinnatus plowing the soil of his farm, as shown in the statue.

The city leaders made him Dictator, which gave him total control over Rome.  In those days the title Dictator did not have the negative connotations that it has now, but it did give him power over everything in Rome.

Above, a statue of Cincinnatus by Lysippe, c. 320 BC, now in the palace of Versailles.

Cincinnatus took control of the small Roman army and in 15 days he defeated the Aequi.  Then he gave up his dictatorship.

Above, a statue of Cincinnatus by French sculptor Denis Foyatier, 1834, in the Tuileries Gardens in Paris.

Cincinnatus was given a second dictatorship in 439 BC to deal with a wealthy Roman who was trying to buy the loyalty of the poor and make himself king.  After 21 days, the wealthy man was killed while resisting arrest, and since the threat was gone, Cincinnatus again resigned his dictatorship.

Cincinnatus became a hero to the Romans for his honorable behavior.  Granted supreme power twice, he held onto it for not a day longer than necessary.

Above, an indoor copy of the Foyatier statue of Cincinnatus that has escaped the weathering of the outdoor copy.

George Washington was called the American Cincinnatus because he gave up his command of the army after the American Revolution and did not try to make himself king.  Above, George Washington as Cincinnatus by Horatio Greenough, 1832, shows Washington in Roman robes that he never would have worn in real life.

If all of this makes you think of an American politician who, having no ethics or honor, is the anti-Cincinnatus, constantly trying to increase his power, you are not alone.